8 Amazing Opera Houses And How They're Keeping The Art Alive

They're not only gorgeous — they're making a big impact, too.

By
Meirav Devash

Nov 17, 2016

The grandest, most ornate and iconic opera houses around the world are built on centuries of musical history, though they're dedicated to much more than celebrating the past. Here's how they're working to keep the art of opera alive and (loudly) bring it into the future.

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Bregenz Festival floating stage in Bregenz, Austria

The Bregenzer Festspiele (Bregenz Festival) on Austria's Lake Constance has been long different from any other celebration of opera. It debuted in 1946, just a year after the end of WWI, and for four weeks every the summer, patrons can watch opera on the world's grandest open-air lakeside stage. (You may recognize the floating spectacle from the 2008 James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace," which featured Puccini's Tosca.) This year, the Bregenz Opera is gearing up for Georges Bizet's Carmen. You can even follow the construction of the stage and get a sneak peek at rehearsals via a live webcam.

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The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, USA

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts stands near the watchful eye of the Lincoln Memorial, just off the banks of the Potomac river. After the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, Congress authorized funds to help build the Center. The opening performance in 1971 was a Requiem Mass honoring Kennedy, composed by Leonard Bernstein. The Center is making new opera fans of middle and high school students with the Student Open Rehearsal Program (kids can attend Washington National Opera's dress rehearsals on the main stage) and courting millennials with the WNO's 2017 world premiere of three short (20-minute!) operas in the Family Theater, based on the centennial celebration of President Kennedy.

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Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera House

The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, New York City, USA

The Metropolitan Opera debuted in 1883 at its first home on Broadway and 39th Street; it didn't become part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts until 1966. Though the Met has over 800,000 visitors every season, millions of people have been able to experience the opera through its clever media distribution: In the 1930s, radio broadcasts ("Hänsel und Gretel" on Christmas Day in 1931 was the first—the Met's radio series is now in its 85th year); in the 70s, showing operas like "La Bohème" on public television in 1977; in the aughts, introducing The Met: Live in HD, showing live performances in movie theaters worldwide. You can catch live shows in HD on AMC screens on Saturdays and encores of pre-recorded ones on Wednesdays.

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Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia

Established in 1860 and named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Tsar Alexander II, the Mariinsky Theatre has survived its share of upheaval including multiple moves due to fires, reconstructions, a world war, and a name change. (Known from 1935 -1992 by its Communist-era name, Kirov, it has returned to its original name.) Ever-evolving, the Mariinsky Theatre even has its own record label. You can download the latest release on iTunes just in time for the holidays: Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker, Symphony No. 4," recorded in very same room where it premiered way back in 1892.

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Teatro Alla Scala, Milan, Italy

Arguable the most famous opera house on the planet, La Scala was founded in 1778 as Nuovo Regio Ducale Teatro alla Scala; a 2004 renovation returned the horseshoe-shaped auditorium to red-and-gold opulence, adding screens on seat backs that give subtitles in the original language, as well as English and Italian . Bridging the past and the future is what it does best: The Scala Theater Museum displays costumes, capes, masks, and photographs belonging to the OGs of opera—Tebaldi, Callas, Zeffirelli, Toscanini. La Scala also trains the next generations of musicians, performers, and stage technicians at their Academy for the Performing Arts.

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Courtesy of Sydney Opera House Trust

Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Opera House shares a iconic status, along with the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and the Statue of Liberty, that makes it an instantly recognizable stand-in for the city where it lives. The building, which opened in 1973 with an Australian Opera production of "War and Peace," is an architectural marvel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the number-one reason tourists stop in Sydney. Dedicated to accessibility for all, visitors are offered: English subtitles, audio described performances, tactile tours, assisted listening through an FM Radio system headset or—with an induction loop—your hearing aid, Auslan (Australian sign language) interpretation, and autism-friendly performances for people with sensory issues.

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The Royal Opera House, London, UK

The Royal Opera House is the third one to stand on the same location at Covent Garden (fires demolished the first two). It opened its doors in 1892, but its opera days were short-lived in the beginning—it became a furniture repository during the first world war and a dance hall during the second. In 1946, it reopened and the next year staged its first performance of "Carmen." Lately, ROH has embraced digital technology, integrating 3D video projections with staging. The ROH YouTube channel has trailers for upcoming performances, or you can watch Barrie Kosky's take on Shostakovich's "The Nose" in full. They're even getting in on the influencer scene—during a recent performance of "Les Contes d'Hoffman," The Royal Opera invited a group of Instagrammers to #OperaGram their first InstaMeet .

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Cesar Rubio

The War Memorial Opera House at San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center, San Francisco, USA

When the War Memorial Opera House opened in 1932, Time magazine called it "…a house made possible by all the people of San Francisco." It still is, keeping a finger firmly on the pulse of the community: The San Francisco Opera's current production of "Aida," art-designed by graffiti artist RETNA, is described as a good fit for "fans of contemporary art and "Exit Through the Gift Shop;" opera-loving Silicon Valley professionals aged 21-40 can join the Bravo Club , a group that holds social events, offers reduced-rate tickets, and grants behind-the-scenes access; in summer, visitors can enjoy open-air opera in Golden Gate Park.

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